Archive of Our Own

“This is all your fault!” Jin Ling screamed over the sounds of the rain that was currently pouring over them as he placed his foot on what he figured was a root coming out of the wall.

“What? My fault?!? How is this my fault?!?” Lan Jingyi asked as he slowly made his way over to where he heard Jin Ling’s voice, wiping the water out of his face.

“You’re the one who said we should follow the creepy men into the forest!” Jin Ling said through gritted teeth as he managed to pull himself up to another root, climbing the wall slowly to make sure he wouldn’t slip down.

“Yeah well you’re the one who said we should’ve followed after them in the first place!” Lan Jingyi replied, annoyed. He suddenly tripped over something and landed on his hands and knees on the ground. “What the hell?” He muttered quietly.

“Ouch!” Ouyang Zizhen said as he pulled in his legs and hugged them to his chest. “Be careful Jingyi!”

“Sorry.” Lan Jingyi muttered as he managed to stand back up, his hands were now all muddy from the ground. He begrudgingly wiped them off on his robes, grimacing as he knew it’d be difficult getting the stain out of them afterwards.

“Well he stole our things! Of course, we had to go after him!” Jin Ling said as he took another step. His foot slipped from the root it was stepping on and once again he slid down the wall, all the way back to the bottom. “Ugh!!” Jin Ling exclaimed as he began pounding the wall in front of him out of frustration.

Lan Jingyi finally managed to make his way over to Jin Ling and grabbed the younger boy, stopping him before he began his attempt at climbing the wall once again. “Could you please stop trying to climb out of here!”

Jin Ling thrashed in Lan Jingyi’s arms, trying to get loose. “Let go of me you idiot!”

Ouyang Zizhen shook his head at the sound of his two friends bickering. “We’re never getting out of here.” He muttered to himself, hoping the sound of the rain would conceal it from the rest of his friends.

Jin ling looked towards the direction of his Ouyang Zizhwn’s voice, “Yes we can! We just gotta find a way to climb out of here!” he added after finally managing to get loose from Lan Jingyi’s arms.

Lan Sizhui, who was sat all by himself on the other side of the pit, shook his head at the sound of that, “It’s not worth it.” He was shivering like crazy and although he’d tried to hug himself for some warmth it didn’t seem to work.

“We can’t see shit Jin Ling. And that man threw us in a huge dark pit. How do you think we can climb out?” Lan Jingyi said as he gave up on trying to help his friend and walked over to where he’d just heard Lan Sizhui’s voice.

“Well if you guys helped me, we’d probably find a way.” Jin Ling said, annoyed.

Lan Jingyi sat near Lan Sizhui and leaned his head against the wall, the raindrops hitting his face. “Jin Ling get over it! It’s not gonna work!”

“We should just call for help.” Ouyang Zizhen suggested.

“No!” Jin Ling screamed.

Lan Jingyi sent a glare towards the direction of Jin Ling’s voice. “And why not?”

“I would rather die in here than have to admit to my uncle that some men broke into our room while we were sleeping and stole our swords and talismans and then threw us into a pit!” Jin Ling groaned out.

Lan Jingyi’s eyes widened, “Well good for you but I actually have some things I’m looking forward to in life, so I’d like to get out of the pitch-black pit we’re currently stuck in.”

“Oh yeah?” Jin Ling taunted. “Like what?”

“Well for starters, Senior Wei is supposed to give us a lesson on talismans and I’m really looking forward to it.” Lan Jingyi said annoyed.

“Talismans? Seriously?” Jin Ling asked, unimpressed.

“Wait, can I go to that?” Ouyang Zizhen asked, sounding intrigued.

“What the hell Zizhen?” Jin Ling asked.

“No. It’s a Gusu Lan sect exclusive lesson. Sorry.” Lan Jingyi said without sounding sorry at all.

“Could you all please shut up!!!” Lan Sizhui screamed, sounding just about fed up with his friends’ fighting.

Lan Jingyi, Jin Ling, and Ouyang Zizhen immediately went silent. The three of them stared, mouth wide open, in the direction of their friend’s voice. They had never heard Lan Sizhui be that angry, especially at them. Their friend was known as the calm one of the group, their unofficial leader. It wasn’t like him to lose his cool like that.

Lan Sizhui slammed his eyes shut as he brought his knees up to his chest. The sound of his friends bickering wasn’t doing anything to help him in that moment. It was just making him more anxious. He heard a deep inhale coming from the direction in front of him. He opened his eyes but all he saw was an all-encompassing darkness, he immediately closed his eyes again. He could feel himself shaking even more than before but there was no way to stop it.

“Sizhui? Are you okay?” Lan Jingyi asked quietly from beside him, the worry in his tone palpable.

Lan Sizhui nodded although he knew his friend wouldn’t see it. He took in a deep breath, hoping it would calm his racing heart. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound fine…” Ouyang Zizhen muttered.

“Zizhen! Shut up!” Jin Ling said reprimanding him.

“We need to get out of here.” Lan Sizhui said, ignoring his bickering friends.

“Exactly!” Jin Ling screamed, feeling vindicated now that someone agreed with him.

“But! Not by climbing out!” Lan Sizhui interrupted.

“What?!?” Jin Ling asked just as Lan Jingyi screamed, “Ha! Told you so!”

“It’s impossible to climb out. It’s more likely that you’ll break a leg in the process and then we will really have no way to get out.” Lan Sizhui said managing to sound a lot calmer than what he felt as his hands shook.

“Then what are we supposed to do?” Ouyang Zizhen asked.

“Send a signal.” Lan Sizhui answered.

“Does a signal even work in this rain?” Jin Ling asked, sounding doubtful.

“Of course it does!” Lan Jingyi replied for his friend.

“Well I don’t have any signals with me. They were all in the pouch they stole.” Jin Ling begrudgingly admitted.

Ouyang Zizhen reached for his own pouch but came up empty handed, he face palmed. “I forgot. Mine got stolen too.”

“What the hell?” Lan Jingyi muttered as he searched his own robes. “When did they take mine too?!?!”

“It’s fine. I still have mine.” Lan Sizhui muttered as he took out one of the Gusu Lan sect signal flares. He stood up on shaky legs and shot it into the sky. The glowing cloud motif illuminated the sky momentarily, finally allowing them to see just how deep the pit they were stuck in was.

“It’s a miracle none of us broke something when we fell in.” Ouyang Zizhen said, eyes wide in shock.

“Jin Ling how the hell did you think you were gonna climb out of here?” Lan Jingyi asked annoyed. Jin Ling remained quiet, choosing instead to sit down near Ouyang Zizhen and ignore Lan Jingyi for the rest of the night.

Lan Sizhui shook his head at his friends. Once the signal died out, they were once again surrounded by darkness. Lan Sizhui felt numb at the sight, he hesitated before slowly returning to his seat on the floor. He wiped the water from his face and closed his eyes, hiding it in his knees.

“So, what do we do now?” Ouyang Zizhen asked, incapable of remaining quiet in a moment like this.

“We wait obviously.” Jin Ling answered.

“Jin Ling I’m not an idiot.” Ouyang Zizhen protested.

“Then stop asking stupid questions!” Jin Ling screamed.

“Sizhui, is anyone from our sect nearby?” Lan Jingyi asked, ignoring his other two friends.

Lan Sizhui slowly raised his head from his knees, not wanting his voice to sound muffled to his friends, “I don’t know.” He reluctantly admitted.

“What about Hanguang-Jun and Senior Wei?” Ouyang Zizhen asked.

“They’ve been gone for over a month. We don’t know when they’re returning.” Lan Jingyi answered.

Lan Sizhui sighed, at a moment like this there was nothing he’d like more than to have their help.

“So, what you’re saying is that the signal might not work at all and we might die here anyways?” Jin Ling asked.

“We won’t die. Stop saying that! How come you’re so negative?” Lan Jingyi asked. Jin Ling continued ignoring him.

“If no one comes tonight then we’ll just figure something out tomorrow during the day.” Lan Sizhui answered, sounding much more confident then he actually felt.

“I still can’t believe we got thrown into a pit.” Ouyang Zizhen muttered.

“Definitely one of our lowest points.” Jin Ling agreed.

“Let’s agree to not mention this when we get out of here.” Lan Jingyi added.

“If we get out of here.” Jin Ling whispered.

“Jin Ling!” Lan Jingyi bellowed, having somehow heard the younger boys’ comment. Jin Ling remained quiet.

“I knew I should’ve brought Fairy on this night hunt.” Jin Ling said instead.

“Yeah, and what would have she done?” Lan Jingyi asked mockingly.

“More than you!” Jin Ling replied, finally unable to ignore Lan Jingyi’s existence.

“Could you guys stop?” Ouyang Zizhen interrupted, “You guys are giving me a headache.”

Jin Ling hmphed and looked away from the direction of his friends’ voices.

“He started it,” Lan Jingyi muttered as well.

“Jingyi,” Lan Sizhui pleaded voice coming out shaky.

“Sizhui are you sure you’re okay?” Jin Ling asked, sounding concerned.

Lan Sizhui cursed internally; he didn’t want his friends to worry about him at a time like this. “Yes, I’m fine. Just cold.” He only half- lied.

“Well this rain IS freezing.” Ouyang Zizhen said in agreement as he brought his arms up to warm himself.

“I think it’s just about our luck that we get thrown into a pit and there’s a crazy rainstorm at the same time.” Jin Ling protested.

Lan Sizhui felt at times like this like he truly was cursed, what were the odds that something like this would happen.

“Sizhui,” Lan Jingyi said quietly, interrupting his friend’s thoughts. Lan Jingyi made sure Ouyang Zizhen and Jin Ling were preoccupied, engrossed in their own conversation, before continuing. “Are you really okay?”

Lan Sizhui froze at his friend’s tone. He nodded before replying, “Yes I am.”

“You know you can tell me anything, right?” Lan Jingyi continued.

At that moment Lan Sizhui considered telling his best friend the truth. He’d kept this secret for so long, but he couldn’t, not at a time like this when his friends needed him. “Yeah I know.” He answered, feeling inexplicably guilty knowing he was keeping something from Lan Jingyi.

“Okay.” Lan Jingyi answered as he laid back on the wall.

“Maybe we should try to rest.” Lan Sizhui suggested after a while. “We might need our strength for tomorrow if nobody comes.”

“Yeah that’s smart.” Ouyang Zizhen admitted. “But it’s gonna be so hard with this rain falling on us.”

“It’s worth a try,” Lan Jingyi continued.

The four of them decided to try their best at resting and somehow most of them had managed to do so. The only one who was incapable of doing so was Lan Sizhui. No matter how hard he tried to rest, he couldn’t calm his racing heart. It didn’t matter if he tried those breathing exercises, he was taught to help him relax at a moment like this or meditation. No matter what he did he couldn’t find a way to relax. Not when he was consumed by the feeling of panic.  

Lan Sizhui closed his eyes once again and just prayed they’d find a way out soon. He didn’t think he could take being stuck in the pit much longer.

“Do you think this is where the signal came from Lan Zhan?”

Lan Sizhui’s eyes opened wide in shock.

“I believe so.”

Lan Sizhui stood up, his heart beating in his chest for an entirely different reason.

“Then how come there’s no one here?” Wei Wuxian continued.

“We’re down here you idiot!” Lan Sizhui looked over to where he heard the screaming, it seemed Jin Ling was also awake.

“Aaannnd there’s that favorite nephew of mine.” Wei Wuxian said through laughs. He walked over to the voice but managed to stop himself right in time. “Woah now that’s a big pit.” Wei Wuxian muttered to himself.

“Kids are you okay?” Wei Wuxian asked.

“Senior Wei! Help us!” Ouyang Zizhen screamed.

“Get us out of here!” Lan Jingyi added.

Wei Wuxian looked back at Lan Wangji who was waiting for him. “Lan Zhan they’re down there but it’s so dark I can’t even see them.”

At his husband’s words Lan Wangji’s eyes widened slightly. Wei Wuxian tilted his head, confused at the panic in his husband’s eyes. “Dark?” Lan Wangji asked.

Wei Wuxian nodded his head in answer. Lan Wangji walked over to him and looked down into the pit. He shook his head as he wordlessly passed his sword to his husband. Wei Wuxian took the sword and held it with his own as he saw Lan Wangji reach into his robes to take out a qiankun pouch. Lan Wangji opened the pouch and removed what seemed like a rope.

Wei Wuxian giggled at the sight, “Ah as expected of Hanguang- Jun! Always prepared for anything!”

Lan Wangji walked over to the nearest tree and quickly tied the rope as tightly as he could. He tugged on the rope to make sure it was safe and returned to join Wei Wuxian.

“Kids watch out! We’re throwing a rope!” Wei Wuxian screamed in warning.

“Ouch!” They heard one of the juniors exclaim as the rope landed at the bottom of the pit.

“I said watch out!” Wei Wuxian screamed.

“It’s not my fault I can’t see!” Jin Ling screamed in return.

Wei Wuxian shook his head, “Ah these kids.”

“Climb carefully.” Lan Wangji said as he held onto the rope to steady it.

“Jin Ling you should go first.” Lan Sizhui finally said.

Jin Ling opened his eyes in shock as he rubbed the top of his head where the rope had hit him, “are you sure?”

“Jin Ling just go.” Ouyang Zizhen answered instead.

Jin Ling rolled his eyes at his friend, “fine!” He held onto the rope and slowly began his long climb. He was glad he’d allowed his friends to talk him out of climbing the wall himself because there was definitely no way he would’ve made it out, not that he’d ever admit it out loud. He shuddered just thinking about the look of satisfaction on Lan Jingyi’s face, there was no way he’d give the older boy the satisfaction.

Jin Ling finally managed to climb out of the pit, Wei Wuxian helping him out. “A-Ling you’re heavier than you look.” Wei Wuxian said jokingly. Jin Ling rolled his eyes at the other man’s words and sat down on the floor. He looked up at the sky, the rain still hitting his face, and took in a deep breath.

“Okay the next one can start climbing!” Wei Wuxian said after returning to the edge of the pit. After a couple of minutes, a hand grabbed onto the edge of the pit. Wei Wuxian quickly grabbed Ouyang Zizhen and pulled the other boy up the rest of the way.

“Ugh I hate climbing.” Ouyang Zizhen muttered as he laid on the ground beside Jin Ling, not caring about the water hitting his face.

Wei Wuxian giggled at the sight, he then turned to stare at his husband “Lan Zhan you help them up now. I’m tired. I’ll hold onto the rope instead.”

Lan Wangji wordlessly nodded and passed the rope to his husband. Wei Wuxian grabbed it and screamed, “Okay you can come up now!”

“Sizhui you should go first.” Lan Jingyi said after hearing Wei Wuxian give them the okay to go.

Lan Sizhui shook his head, “No it’s okay. You go ahead.”

Lan Jingyi frowned, “Are you sure?”

Lan Sizhui took in a deep breath, as the oldest he felt like it was his duty to make sure his friends got out safely first. He couldn’t be selfish at a moment like this. “Yes Jingyi I’m sure. Now go!” He encouraged kindly.

Lan Jingyi didn’t feel like doing so, but he knew his friend could be stubborn when he wanted to. He sighed and nodded, “Okay. But I’ll go fast.”

Lan Sizhui nodded at the other boys’ words, “Okay.” He said feeling grateful. Soon enough his friend had begun climbing the rope and he was left alone. He grabbed onto the rope and took in a deep breath. His eyes were clenched shut, he just wanted to get out.

“Okay a-Yuan! Your turn!” Wei Wuxian screamed.

Lan Sizhui let out a breath of relief at those words. He quickly began climbing the rope, not caring that he was being careless by going so fast.

After what felt like an eternity, Lan Sizhui felt a pair hands grab him as they helped him up the rest of the way. He let out a sigh of relief as he could finally let go of the rope and kneel on the stable ground. He slowly opened his eyes, having had them closed the whole time, and couldn’t help but feel immense relief at the sight before him.

Lan Wangji had a worried look in his eyes as he held onto Lan Sizhui’s arms. It was clear to him that the younger boy was in distress. He hugged the boy, knowing that he was turned away from the rest of the juniors and they wouldn’t be able to see.

Lan Sizhui breathed in the familiar scent of his father and felt himself finally calm down. He clutched the older man’s robes in his hands and buried his face in the man’s neck, not caring that his friends could see and realize something was wrong with him.

Wei Wuxian stared at the sight before him, his husband embracing their obviously upset son. He wanted to join them but decided against it as he felt that it’d be better to give them a moment to themselves. He turned around and saw that the other three boys were unaware of what was happening between Lan Wangji and Lan Sizhui as they were all laying on the ground, bickering. He laughed and walked over to them to make sure they didn’t end up actually fighting.

“You’re okay.” Lan Wangji said as he stroked his son’s hair. Lan Sizhui nodded against his shoulder and slowly lifted his head. He stared at his father, “I am.” He said, voice shaky.

Lan Wangji nodded, accepting that his son was no longer as panicked as he’d been a moment before. He let go of Lan Sizhui and stood up, offering the younger boy his hand. The younger boy took it and stood up as well. He let go of his father’s hand and began fixing his forehead ribbon that had slipped down from all the rain.

After fixing his forehead ribbon he looked at Lan Wangji and nodded. The two then turned to join the rest of their group. They both stopped in their tracks as they witnessed Wei Wuxian standing in between a bickering Jin Ling and Lan Jingyi; Ouyang Zizhen watching worriedly from his spot on the ground.

“The two of you stop fighting!” Wei Wuxian said.

“He started it!” Jin Ling said as he crossed his arms and turned away from them.

“It’s not my fault he can’t take a joke.” Lan Jingyi said as he also turned around, making eye contact with a confused Lan Sizhui. “Sizhui!” He exclaimed.

Jin Ling and Ouyang Zizhen looked to where their friend stood and sighed in relief. The three of them had felt that something was wrong with Lan Sizhui. No matter how many times the older boy denied it, it was clear to them something had been wrong down in the pit. They felt relieved now seeing that he looked like the perfect Gusu Lan sect disciple that he always was.

Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes fondly at the boys and walked over to his husband and son. He hugged Lan Sizhui, not caring that the other boys would see, it wasn’t like it was an unfamiliar sight anyways.

“I’m glad you’re okay a-Yuan.” He said quietly as he let go of the boy and smiled. Lan Sizhui nodded gratefully.

Wei Wuxian didn’t know exactly what had caused his son so much distress, but he wanted him to know that he was always there for him anyways.

Wei Wuxian turned to Lan Wangji and happily grabbed the other man’s arm as he looked at the four juniors. “Okay, so can we have some explanations now?” He asked.

The four boys looked at each other sheepishly. Lan Jingyi scratched the back of his neck awkwardly as Jin Ling looked towards any other direction that didn’t include Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. Ouyang Zizhen just looked at Lan Sizhui expectantly. The older of the boys’ sighed and shook his head at his friend’s.

“We had just gotten back to the Inn after our night hunt,” Lan Sizhui began explaining as he stared at his fathers, “we were tired, so we immediately went to sleep. We woke in the middle of the night after hearing some noise and realized someone had broken into our room. They had stolen all our things. Jin Ling suggested we start looking for the culprits immediately so we did that. Luckily, we were quick enough in going after them that we found the three men that stole our things heading into the forest. Jingyi suggested we follow them and so we did just that.”

Lan Sizhui stopped speaking, struggling to find a way to continue the story. Lan Wangji gave him and expectant look and so he nodded and continued, “The men outsmarted us and captured us instead. They weren’t cultivators but they had weapons, and we were forced to surrender. Afterwards they threw the four of us into the pit and left.” Lan Sizhui finished.

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji stared at each other and held what seemed like a silent conversation before nodding and turning back to them.

“You all did well.” Wei Wuxian answered.

Jin Ling finally stared at him and gave him a look of disbelief, “what are you talking about? The four of us got outsmarted by regular thiefs. How was that done well?”

“You did the best you could in a difficult situation.” Lan Wangji replied instead.

Wei Wuxian nodded in agreement, “Exactly. You were caught by surprise and your things were stolen. When you realized you were in trouble you called for help. You did the best you could at the time and we’re proud of you kids. Use this as a learning experience.”

“I guess. I just wish we hadn’t lost our swords in the process.” Lan Jingyi sadly said.

Wei Wuxian’s eyes lit up as he let go of Lan Wangji’s arms, “That’s where you’re wrong!” He turned around and walked towards the tree where the rope was tied. The four juniors looked at each other in confusion, they looked at Lan Wangji for answers, but the man remained as quiet as ever.

“We got you your swords back!” Wei Wuxian said as he returned and handed the shocked boys their things.

“What?” Ouyang Zizhen questioned as he stared at the sword in his hands.

“How?” Lan Sizhui asked as he looked at his fathers in astonishment.

“We found the thieves.” Lan Wangji replied quickly.

Wei Wuxian nodded. “We had just arrived at a new town; we were looking for an Inn that was open that late when we noticed some men trying to sell four expensive looking swords to a trader. Let’s just say it didn’t end well for them.” Wei Wuxian said with a coldness in his voice that reminded the four of them that Wei Wuxian was someone who’s bad side you never wanted to be on.

“I hope they got what they deserved.” Jin Ling said as he hugged his sword. No one commented on the childish act, knowing the story behind it.

“It’s late enough that it’s probably just best if we head back to the Cloud Recesses, don’t you think Lan Zhan?” Wei Wuxian asked.

Lan Wangji nodded in agreement.

“Does that mean you’ve finished travelling?” Lan Sizhui asked, a hint of hope in his voice.

Lan Wangji’s eyes warmed at the tone of his sons’ voice, he nodded in assent.

“We were on our way back already.” Wei Wuxian added. He then turned to Ouyang Zizhen and Jin Ling, “You two can come back with us and head back to your own sects tomorrow.”

Ouyang Zizhen and Jin Ling nodded gratefully, having been dreading the thought of returning to their own sects at this late hour and soaking wet when the Cloud Recesses was technically closer.

Quickly all six of them mounted their swords, Wei Wuxian on Lan Wangji’s own since his golden core was still not strong enough to fly by himself and made their way to the Cloud Recesses.

“Well I don’t know about you all but I’m feeling kind of hungry.” Wei Wuxian said as soon as they landed in the Cloud Recesses. “I’m gonna see if I find anything in the kitchen.” He continued as he placed a kiss on Lan Wangji’s cheek and began walking towards the direction of the kitchen. Lan Wangji smiled fondly at the sight.

No matter how much time the juniors spent with Wei Wuxian, they’d never tire of the older man’s inability to follow all the Gusu Lan sect rules.

At Wei Wuxian’s disappearance, Lan Wangji turned to face the juniors, “Jingyi, show young master Jin and young master Ouyang to the guest dormitories. The rooms are equipped with extra robes they can change into”

“Yes Hangunag-Jun.” Lan Jingyi replied, bowing to the man.

“Sizhui,” Lan Wangji continued, “Change into dry robes and come to the Jingshi.”

Lan Sizhui nodded in understanding as Lan Wangji began to walk away.

“Sizhui are you in trouble?” Ouyang Zizhen asked, concerned over his friend.

Lan Sizhui laughed and shook his head, “No. I’m not.”

“Then why does he want to meet with you at this hour?” Jin Ling asked, clearly confused.

Lan Sizhui remained silent as he knew he couldn’t tell his friends the truth and lying was against the rules.

“He probably just wants a report on the night hunt.” Lan Jingyi interrupted, unknowingly saving Lan Sizhui.

“This late?” Ouyang Zizhen asked.

“Are you questioning THE Hanguang-Jun?!?!” Lan Jingyi asked in disbelief.

Ouyang Zizhen’s eyes widened as he shook his head. He knew better than to say something against Lan Wangji. “I’d never!”

“Good.” Lan Jingyi said as he crossed his arms and looked away from his friend.

Lan Sizhui giggled at them as he shook his head, “Let’s just go.”

The other three boys nodded in agreement as they all began heading their own way: Lan Jingyi towards the guest dormitories with Ouyang Zizhen and Jin Ling in tow, and Lan Sizhui towards his and Lan Jingyi’s shared room.

As soon as Lan Sizhui changed out of his wet robes and into some dry ones, he made his way to his father’s Jingshi. He quietly went up the stairs and stood before the door. He took in a deep breath before he knocked lightly.

Quickly enough Lan Wangji opened the door. He had already changed from his own wet robes into dry ones, he’d also taken out his hair ornament and let his hair down.

Lan Sizhui entered once Lan Wangji gestured for him to do so, the older man closing the door behind them. His father led the way towards a low table and kneeled on one side, Lan Sizhui immediately kneeling before him on the other side.

The older man wordlessly poured two cups of tea he’d prepared and passed one of them over to his son. Lan Sizhui took it and began sipping from it. They both sat in silence as they sipped their drinks. Lan Sizhui knew his father well enough to know why he had been asked to come to the Jingshi. But he also knew the other man wouldn’t force him into speaking unless Lan Sizhui was absolutely ready.

Once they finished their tea, Lan Sizhui put down his cup and turned to stare his father in the eye.

“I’m sorry.” Lan Sizhui said quietly. Lan Wangji’s eyes widened slightly at those words. “I shouldn’t have panicked, but I did. I should have been able to put my fears aside and taken better control of the situation. I shouldn’t have-”

Lan Sizhui stopped as he felt a hand on top of his own. “Stop apologizing.” Lan Wangji clearly said.

Lan Sizhui shook his head and looked down at his lap, “but-”

Lan Wangji shook his head, “Don’t apologize for having a fear.”

Lan Sizhui continued looking at his lap, refusing to look at his father. He then felt a hand tilt his chin upwards and looked to the side realizing that at some point his father had moved to sit beside him.

“There’s no reason to be embarrassed. This fear is not a reflection of the type of cultivator or leader that you are.” Lan Wangji said seriously as he stared into his son’s eyes.

Lan Sizhui couldn’t help it as he felt his eyes begin to water, he quickly tried to blink the tears away not wanting to cry over something like this.

“It was just so scary down there.” He finally admitted, no longer feeling like he needed to hide the truth. Not from his father, the man who had raised him and knew him better than most, in the privacy of the Jingshi. “I tried to stay calm, to help my friends but it was so hard. I-” Lan Sizhui broke off, his voice beginning to waver as he relived the moments in the pit.

Lan Wangji put his arms around Lan Sizhui and brought him into a tight hug, managing to pull the boy onto his lap in the process. The younger boy immediately circled his arms around his father’s waist and silently cried into his chest. Lan Wangji felt a pang in his heart as he felt his son shake in his arms. He began stroking Lan Sizhui’s back to comfort him.

For years, Lan Wangji had tried to assure Lan Sizhui that his fears weren’t something to be seen as a flaw in his character. He knew about the pressure Lan Sizhui felt as the head disciple of the Gusu Lan sect and the son of Hanguang-Jun. He knew Lan Sizhui enough to know the boy wouldn’t admit he’d been afraid at a moment where he felt that his friends needed his guidance. He knew his son well enough to know the boy had most likely put his friend’s needs before his own.

Lan Wangji moved his hand up to stroke the boy’s hair. Lan Sizhui was too young to feel like he needed to be perfect. He knew the boy felt the need to be as perfect as possible. But no one was perfect, not even him. Lan Wangji remembered growing up, everyone around him expecting him to be perfect even when he was just a child; it had been exhausting. He’d never wanted that for Lan Sizhui.  

“Sizhui. You did the best you could. You should be proud of that. As am I.” Lan Wangji said quietly, looking down at the boy in his arms. “This doesn’t define you. This doesn’t make you any less of a cultivator.”

“But how can I be a good cultivator if I’m afraid of the dark? Cultivators fight ghouls, corpses, ghosts…. But I’m afraid of the dark?” Lan Sizhui mumbled into Lan Wangji’s chest as his shaking subsided.

Lan Wangji shook his head fondly at the boy, “We can’t control what we fear.”

“Exactly!” Someone else said. Lan Sizhui raised his head from his father’s chest and looked at the older man in confusion. They both turned towards the direction the voice had come from and saw Wei Wuxian standing at the entrance of the room, half eaten apple in his hand. Wei Wuxian had a look of concern on his face as he walked into the room and kneeled beside his son and husband. He placed the apple on the table and smiled sadly at Lan Sizhui as he raised his hand to dry the tears from the younger boy’s face. “You don’t have to feel bad for being afraid a-Yuan.” Wei Wuxian added softly.

Lan Sizhui shook his head but remained quiet. Lan Wangji looked at how his husband comforted his son and smiled. “Have you been standing there for long?” Lan Wangji asked quietly.

Wei Wuxian nodded sheepishly, “I thought you both heard me when I came in. Then I saw you were preoccupied. I didn’t want to interrupt. Sorry.” He admitted.

Lan Sizhui’s eyes widened slightly, “A-die. You’d never interrupt.”

Lan Wangji nodded in agreement, “Wei Ying you never have to feel like you’re interrupting us. We want you here too.” Lan Wangji said as he grabbed Wei Wuxian’s free hand and intertwined it with his own.

Wei Wuxian smiled, “Well that’s always reassuring to hear.” He said through giggles.

At that point, Lan Sizhui had finally stopped crying although he’d gone back to resting his head on his father’s chest. Wei Wuxian looked at him fondly and tucked a stray piece of hair behind his son’s ear. “A-Yuan I was serious. You don’t have to feel bad over being afraid of the dark.”

Lan Sizhui shook his head, “It’s embarrassing.” He quietly admitted.

“Do you think it’s embarrassing that I’m afraid of dogs?” Wei Wuxian suddenly asked.

Lan Sizhui’s eyes widened as he raised himself from his father’s chest and stared at his other father’s face. “No. Of course not.” He said, shaking his head.

“Do you think I’m a bad cultivator for being afraid of dogs?” Wei Wuxian continued.

Lan Sizhui once again shook his head, “No. You’re one of the best.”

“Then why are you so hard on yourself?” Wei Wuxian asked as he reached over to gently stroke his sons cheek.

Lan Sizhui stared at him quietly, processing his father’s words. “I-” Lan Sizhui began quietly. “I just always thought I needed to be perfect.”

“You don’t have to be perfect.” Lan Wangji continued from beside them. “You’re still young. You’re fine just the way you are.”

Wei Wuxian nodded beside him, “A-Yuan take it from me. It’s nice to let others help you out once in a while too.”

At his fathers’ words, Lan Sizhui was reminded of his three friends. When he saw the relief in his friends faces once he’d climbed out of the pit, he’d known his attempts at hiding his panic from them had failed. And yet his friends were kind enough to not ask him any more about how obviously strange he’d been acting.

“I think I’m tired of hiding this from my friends.” Lan Sizhui gently admitted, looking down at his fathers’ arms that still held him.

Wei Wuxian grinned at those words, Lan Wangji giving a small smile of his own as well. “I think that’s a good idea.”

Wei Wuxian grabbed the apple he’d placed on the table and bit into it, quickly finishing it. “If I’d known you would be here, I would’ve brought you something to eat a-Yuan.” Wei Wuxian said regretfully.

Lan Sizhui smiled as he gently shook his head, “It’s ok a-die. I still feel a little shaken up from the pit. I don’t think I’d be able to stomach anything anyways.”

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji gave each other a gloomy look at their sons’ words. Quickly they both leaned in and placed a soothing kiss on Lan Sizhui’s head; Wei Wuxian kissed his forehead, right over the ribbon and Lan Wangji kissed the top of his head, hugging the younger boy closer to him.

Lan Sizhui smiled, feeling the final remains of the panic he’d felt that night drift away. His fathers’ love managing to make him feel infinitely better.

Lan Wangji noticed that Wei Wuxian was still wearing his wet robes and suggested he go change. Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes at the worry in his husbands’ voice but stood up anyways to change behind the room divider. Once he finished, he immediately came back and sat beside his husband and son. He noticed Lan Sizhui still wore his head piece and therefore gently took it off for him, making sure he didn’t accidentally pull his sons hair in the process. Lan Sizhui sighed in contentment as he felt himself being taken care off by one of his fathers as the other one still held him in his arms. Once Wei Wuxian finished, he sat beside his husband and rested his head on Lan Wangji’s shoulder as he ran his fingers through his sons’ hair.

The three remained in content silence, basking in the feeling of being together, until Wei Wuxian spoke. “A-Yuan? Why are you afraid of the dark?” He asked gently.

Lan Sizhui looked at him and shook his head, “I don’t know. I just know I’ve always been afraid of it.”

Wei Wuxian looked at him strangely, “That’s weird. You weren’t afraid of the dark in the Burial Mounds.”

Lan Sizhui gave his father a confused look, “I wasn’t?”

Wei Wuxian nodded, “I remember sometimes you’d go outside to play around in the dark. Wen Qing always had to drag you back inside.” He said quietly, voice sounding far away as he remembered the family he’d lost.

Lan Wangji leaned down and kissed the top of his husbands’ head, feeling the sad atmosphere surrounding the man. Wei Wuxian looked up at him gratefully. Lan Wangji leaned down once again and gave him a kiss on the lips. Wei Wuxian smiled as they parted.

Lan Sizhui ignored his fathers’ sappiness in favor of thinking over Wei Wuxian’s words. “That is strange.” He whispered.

At those words Lan Wangji looked down at his son, he was suddenly reminded of a conversation he’d had with his brother more than a decade ago. He’d been in seclusion at the time, his brother had come to see him to make sure his scars had been healing well. He’d ignored his brothers fussing over him and instead inquired about a-Yuan, the only thing that his grief-stricken self was able to care about at the time. Lan Xichen looked sadly at Lan Wangji but otherwise complied, he’d told him a-Yuan was adjusting well to life at the Cloud Recesses and that he’d ask about Wangji gege every day. At those words Lan Wangji was finally able to feel something other than the never-ending wave of grief, pain, and sadness. Lan Xichen then continued; he’d said that the only problem was that a-Yuan was afraid of the dark. Lan Wangji had frowned at that and then asked if he knew why. Lan Xichen admitted that when asked, the only thing a-Yuan said was “Bad things happen in the dark”.

Lan Wangji now felt a pang in his chest, eyes slightly watering as he listened to his husband and son speaking to one another. He hadn’t thought anything about it at the time, but now it all finally made sense. During those 13 years, Lan Wangji had overheard cultivators speaking about the Yiling Patriarch; the things they’d say making him feel a mix of anger and grief. But the story that hurt the most was the one about how the Yiling Patriarch and the Wens screamed in agony as they were attacked by surprise in the middle of the night. Bad things happen in the dark, indeed, Lan Wangji thought as he tightened an arm around Lan Sizhui and the other around Wei Wuxian.

Lan Wangji was interrupted from his thoughts as he heard Lan Sizhui yawn. Wei Wuxian giggled at the younger boy, “I guess it’s time to sleep.” He said.

Lan Sizhui nodded as he slowly separated himself from his father’s chest. He slowly stood up and helped both his father’s stand. Once the three of them were standing, Lan Sizhui bowed to his fathers to wish them a goodnight. Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian looked at each other strangely before stopping Lan Sizhui.

“There’s no need for that.” Wei Wuxian said.

Lan Sizhui couldn’t help but blush as he nodded in understanding. “Goodnight a-die. Goodnight baba.” He said, facing both his fathers. He turned to leave the Jingshi before he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Lan Wangji holding on to him.

“Stay for the night.” The older man said.

Lan Sizhui’s eyes widened slightly. It’d been years since he’d stayed at his father’s Jingshi, ever since he was 14 and reached the age to move into the disciple’s dorms. “No that’s not necessary baba. I’m fine. Really!” Lan Sizhui stuttered out.

Wei Wuxian joined Lan Wangji and looked at their son amused, “Lan Yuan. How could you turn down your poor old fathers like this? Where’s the filial piety?”

Lan Sizhui’s eyes widened in shock as he quickly began shaking his head, “No I didn’t mean it like that! I meant tha-”

Wei Wuxian interrupted their son by pinching his cheek, “Ah I know. I’m only joking. Our little a-Yuan is too good to disrespect his fathers.”

Lan Sizhui let out a sigh of relief as he nodded. Lan Wangji stared at the two fondly.

“But seriously a-Yuan stay the night. Sleep in your old room. It would make us feel better.” Wei Wuxian added, letting go of their son’s cheek.

Lan Sizhui looked in the direction of his old room, as he began nervously toying with the sleeves of his robe. It’s not like he needed to stay in the Jingshi to be able to sleep. He’d been dealing with his fear of the dark all his life. But being near his parents always managed to make him feel safe, no matter what, and right now he’d appreciate that. Having a little bit of help wasn’t a bad thing.

Lan Sizhui turned back to face his parents. Wei Wuxian was hugging Lan Wangji from the side as they both stared at Lan Sizhui expectantly. “And it wouldn’t be a bother?” Lan Sizhui asked shyly.

“Never.” Lan Wangji answered seriously as he returned Wei Wuxian’s hug.

Lan Sizhui took in a big breath, smiling at his father’s words. “Ok,” he said as he nodded. “I’ll stay for the night.”

Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian nodded relieved.

Lan Sizhui walked over to them and hugged them both, feeling his parents arms immediately circle around him. “Thank you, baba. Thank you, a-die.”

“There’s no need for thank you’s between us.” Wei Wuxian said as he stared into Lan Wangji’s eyes and gave him a knowing look. Lan Wangji leaned down and gave Wei Wuxian a kiss.

Lan Sizhui separated from the hug, blushing from embarrassment as he’d felt his father’s kiss over him. “Goodnight, baba. Goodnight, a-die” He muttered quickly as he made his way to his old room.

Wei Wuxian laughed at Lan Sizhui’s quick exit as Lan Wangji looked on fondly.